1987 Belgian Grand Prix
17 May |number = 439 |officialname = XLV Grand Prix de Belgique |circuit = Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |location = Spa, Belgium |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 6.940 |laps = 43 |distance = 298.420 |pole = Nigel Mansell |polenation = GBR |poleteam = |poletime = 1:52.026 |fastestlap = 1:57.153 |fastestlapdriver = Alain Prost |fastestlapnation = FRA |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 26 |winner = Alain Prost |winnernation = FRA |winnerteam = |second = Stefan Johansson |secondnation = SWE |secondteam = |third = Andrea de Cesaris |thirdnation = ITA |thirdteam = }} The 1987 Belgian Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the XLV Grand Prix de Belgique, was the third round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on the 17 May 1987.'Belgian GP, 1987', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr439.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019) The race would see Alain Prost match the record for career wins, held by Jackie Stewart, as he swept to victory ahead of teammate Stefan Johansson. Nelson Piquet would return to the action in Belgium, and duly battled with teammate Nigel Mansell for pole during qualifying. Ultimately it was the Brit who emerged ahead, with the pair some 1.5 seconds clear of Ayrton Senna in third. The start of the race would see Mansell jump into the lead from pole, while Piquet slipped behind Senna on the run out of La Source. The rest of the field would be led by Michele Alboreto in the first of the s, while Prost would start the opening tour from fifth. However, the race would never really get a chance to develop before it was brought to a halt, caused by a huge accident at Raidillon. Indeed, pilot Philippe Streiff would lose control at high speed, resulting in his car demolishing itself in the barriers. Teammate Jonathan Palmer was next on the scene, and duly smashed into the remains of Strieff's car to destroy his Tyrrell as well. Fortunately both Streiff and Palmer escaped unhurt, although the race had to be stopped to clear the circuit. After a short clear-up, in-which Streiff jumped in the spare Tyrrell, the race was restarted from the grid in the order in which the field had ended the opening lap, with Senna getting the jump on Mansell as a result. Mansell was in no mood to simply let the Brazilian run away on the restart lap, although his ambitious lunge around the outside of Campus only succeeded in putting both into a spin. Senna was out on the spot, beached on the grass and gravel, while Mansell scrambled back onto the circuit, albeit well down the order. Piquet therefore led the opening stages from Alboreto and Prost, although an engine failure for the Brazilian on lap twelve left him on the sidelines. Prost hence claimed the lead, Alboreto having also disappeared with a CV joint failure, while Thierry Boutsen and Stefan Johansson moved into the podium spots. Johansson duly moved to second with a move on Boutsen just before the stops, which saw little change to the order. Indeed, it was only when Boutsen's pace collapsed later in the race that any changes occurred, with Andrea de Cesaris ultimately finishing in third behind Prost and Johansson. Background Victory in San Marino last time out had propelled Nigel Mansell to the top of the Championship, the Brit having claimed ten points across the opening two rounds. That left him a point clear of Alain Prost in second, winner in Brazil, while Stefan Johansson had retained third after his second straight points finish in Imola. Behind, Ayrton Senna had leapt into the top five ahead of Nelson Piquet, with ten drivers already on the score board. In the Constructors' Championship it was who led the field arriving in Spa, having moved ahead of on the count-back rule. Likewise, had moved ahead of to claim third in Imola, level on seven but ahead on count-back, while had dropped to fifth ahead of . Elsewhere, Philippe Streiff had moved to the top of the Jim Clark Trophy standings in San Marino, opening a six point lead over teammate Jonathan Palmer. Pascal Fabre, meanwhile, had held onto third ahead of Philippe Alliot, while had maintained their lead in the Colin Chapman Trophy. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: * Entries with a white background denote eligibility for the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy. Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy with numbers in brackets indicating their finishing position in that class. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** de Cesaris, Ghinzani and Fabre were all still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 50th entry for Ayrton Senna and Stefan Johansson.'1987 Belgian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1987&gp=Belgian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 02/04/2019) * Philippe Streiff entered his 25th Grand Prix. * Alain Prost scored his 27th career victory.'3. Belgium 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/belgique.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019) ** This put him level with Jackie Stewart at the top of the all-time winner's list. ** Also Prost's 50th podium finish. * secured their 54th win as a constructor. ** Engine suppliers claimed their 24th victory. Standings Victory not only doubled Alain Prost's points tally for the season but also put him back at the head of the Championship, moving onto eighteen points. His teammate Stefan Johansson was also into double figures having moved into second, while Nigel Mansell dropped to third after his retirement. The two Brazilians Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna completed the top five, with thirteen drivers on the score sheet. 's first one-two of the season meant that the Anglo-German alliance was back in charge of the Constructors' Championship, leaving Spa with 31 points to their name. hence dropped back to second, with a little over half the number of points of their rivals, while completed the top three. , meanwhile, had lost ground in fourth, as , and added their names to the score board. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. Jim Clark/Colin Chapman Trophy Philippe Streiff extended his lead in the Jim Clark Trophy as a result of the Belgian Grand Prix, opening his advantage to six points. Philippe Alliot was next after his first victory in the class, while Jonathan Palmer slipped behind Pascal Fabre after his accident. In the Colin Chapman Trophy, meanwhile, continued to surge ahead, ending the weekend with double the points of in second. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1987 Grands Prix Category:Belgian Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Belgium